US bombs Iran, then slams halt of IAEA cooperation as 'unacceptable'
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Iran has suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, citing security concerns and alleged collaboration with "Israel". The US has called the move "unacceptable", urging full compliance with NPT obligations.
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The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency flies in front of its headquarters during an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 (AP)
The United States has labeled Iran's move to suspend collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as unacceptable, with State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce emphasizing on Wednesday that the country must adhere to its safeguards obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
"We will use the word 'unacceptable' that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity. Iran must cooperate fully and without further delay," the spokesperson told a briefing upon being asked for a comment regarding Iran's decision.
She further stressed that Tehran must grant the IAEA unimpeded access to its recently disclosed enrichment facility.
"Iran must fully comply with its safeguards agreement required under the NPT, including by providing the IAEA with information required to clarify and resolve long-standing questions regarding undeclared nuclear material in Iran," Spokesperson Tammy Bruce added.
NPT for thee but not for me
It is worth noting that the United States has itself broken the UN Charter and violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by bombing Iran’s nuclear sites, acts that risk regional and global security while undermining the treaty’s core principles.
Yet Washington now condemns Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the IAEA as “unacceptable,” ignoring its own breaches and demanding full compliance from Tehran.
This double standard highlights the US’s role in escalating tensions rather than fostering genuine nonproliferation or peaceful resolution. Furthermore, evidence has emerged that the IAEA has acted as a spying tool for the US and Israeli intelligence, compromising its neutrality and objectivity.
This betrayal of trust has fueled Iran’s decision to halt cooperation, exposing the agency’s politicization and deepening mistrust in the international nuclear oversight framework.
Iran officially halts IAEA cooperation
According to a Wednesday report by Tasnim news agency, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has signed a decree halting the nation's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
This move follows recent actions by Iran's parliament and occurs as tensions escalate over the country's nuclear activities.
Last week, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that legislators had passed a law requiring the halt of cooperation with the IAEA, an organization he accused of acting as "Israel’s protector and servant."
Ghalibaf maintained that cooperation with the IAEA could not continue while concerns about the security of Iran's nuclear facilities persisted, asserting that the agency's objectivity had been undermined due to its alleged connections with "Israel."
Grossi barred from Iranian nuclear facilities
On Sunday, Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Hamid Reza Haji Babaei declared that IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi would no longer be permitted to enter Iranian nuclear sites or install monitoring equipment, following Iran's decision to completely halt its collaboration with the international nuclear monitoring body.
"We will no longer give Grossi permission to be present at [Iran's] nuclear facilities and install cameras [there] because we saw information about our facilities in documents received from ... the Israeli regime," Haji Babaei told ISNA news agency.
According to well-informed sources who spoke to Al Mayadeen last month, the Islamic Republic uncovered extensive collaboration between the IAEA and the Israeli occupation, leading Iran to secure through a significant intelligence operation a large cache of highly classified strategic documents and information linked to "Israel."
